Christian or not.. That is the question

This is something I have been thinking about lately, although it has been a bit troubling since I was practically raised in the church. Since we have decided to embrace the whole Bible as truth and necessary for being a follower of Yeshua, there has been conflict with our Christian friends. It has been difficult for most of them to understand where we are coming from. I believe they have felt condemned, judged and made to feel inferior. They think we are shackled to the law and that we no longer embrace the grace of Jesus who set us free from the law etc.

Having had inumerable discussions with friends and family regarding our lifestyle/philosophy change I always stated that "We have more in common than in conflict"; this seemed to calm the waters. I earnestly believed that it was a true statement at the time, but now I have to say I can't accept this as truth anymore.
When I say the word 'Christian' I know it means a believer in the Messiah of the Bible, but it also stands for a belief system that I don't adhere to anymore. I don't call myself a Christian anymore. For me it has become a religion that doesn't hold much truth.

I don't celebrate what Christians celebrate, and our doctrines aren't the same. This has led to a very ostracizing feeling, and it makes me sad because we used to have a community; a large one at that, all believing the same thing. Now it's only small pockets all over the world that share our beliefs.

" Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not one stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until EVERYTHING is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and TEACHES others to do the same will be called least oin the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will NOT enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-20
These verses embody what we believe is absolute and unwavering truth. We embrace the fact that this compels us to accept the ENTIRE Bible as a complete revelation of God's plan for mankind. Our faith has become revitalized but at a significant cost. Shalom.

Hanukkah 2006

In a couple of days Hanukkah starts and we are all looking forward to it. This year we decided to decorate, mostly with blue and silver lights since Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights. The kids and I have been doing Hanukkah crafts, Star of David sun catchers coloring sheets ect. The one really nice thing and that we purchased our first very OWN Hanukiyah. Years prior we've always borrowed so this is extra special for us.
To purchase the Hanukiyah my son and I went to the Synogogue. The building was very unassuming on the outside but on the inside it was decorated for Hanukkah. You know it really felt nice to be there. The man who let us in led us down to the classrooms to wait for the lady who would open the gift shop for us. While walking down the hall there was bulletin boards describing the commanded feasts, Sukkot, Passover, ect... It felt good being there. It made me long for more people around us who shared out beliefs. Everywhere you go, especially during this time is all Christmas. Being in a place with Hanukkah being celebrated was a welcomed changed. Being with people of like mind is something I long for and hope to never take for granted again.

A Day in My Life...

8:10 am -- I am woken up by my toddler as he crawls into bed with me. Looking at the clock I realize we've slept in!! My husband and I stay in bed and snuggle him for a few minutes before the craziness starts.
8:20 am -- My hubby goes to get our oldest up and I make a bee line for the bathroom to brush me teeth, hair and um.. Other things :)
8:30 am -- The drill sergeant, that's me, heads into my sons room to find both child and father laying together, NO ONE IS UP!! So I spend the next 7 minutes bribing, threatening my son to get up and get dressed.
8:40 am -- We finally head downstairs, I have sent my husband ahead of me to prepare some chocolate milk and a breakfast bar for a quick snack in the car on the way to school.
8:45 am -- My son and I are on our way. I leave our little one at home with Daddy, since he didn't make it to his first class.
8:57 am -- Drop child off at Montessori and head back home.
9:12 am -- (Yes I tried hard to pay attention to the times just for your viewing pleasure) I arrive back home and both toddler and daddy are in the tub.
9:22 am -- I check my email, and yes the jacket I've ordered from MEC is on it's way.. YAY! I look at the Flylady chore for the day, ignoring it as I almost always do. Look at all the new listings for houses on a local web site and then I'm off.
9:53 am -- Hubby yells for coffee ....Please.
10:00 am -- We all bundle up and we are off to drive daddy to University.
10:23 am -- Arrive home and make little J some tomato soup with crackers, let watch Caillou while he eats.
10:35 am -- Start dishes, phone rings it's my dear sis-in law. We chat about her joining the gym and so on.
10:44 am -- Take out the stinky trash, try to get more dishes done.
10:50 am -- Oops I forgot to call the gym to book the kids in for babysitting, I call and they are full. %*&#$!!! Well I will call back to see if someone cancels.
10:57 am -- Make Big son a little lunch in case the gym pans out and we can go.
11:00 am -- Bundle little J up 'again' and head out.
11:05 am -- stop for gas, of course he has to 'help' and we buy bubble gum for being a good 'helper' ;)
11:23 am -- Get to the school, unload little J and head in to wait. Chit-chat with the other moms and dads and grab big son.
11:45 am -- Get kids into van, hand big son his lunch and pray that the gym has had a cancellation.. No luck AUG!!! This sucks. We head home.
12:00 pm -- Kids watch Dragon Tales, I feed myself, and then decide to get little J's work desk set up, so I head downstairs fish out an old table and kids chair and drag them upstairs. He 'helps' me carry them which just about put out my back. Well of course his room is a disaster so I spend the next 25 minutes cleaning it and organizing, I finally have his desk ready, he gets about 5 minutes of usage before nap time.
1:00 pm -- It's that glorious time of the day when all is quiet and calm. Big son asks me to play Nintendo with him. So we play for about 30 minutes and then I go to finish the kitchen I started mid-morning.
2:30 pm -- Little J is up and they have been glued to the TV for some time so I kick them off and up to their rooms. We oh and awe over little J's room then each boy heads off to draw rockets and color. We then pull out the leggo's and make spaceships.
3:30 pm-- I tell Big son to get his swimming trunks on. I pack up the towels, the snacks, toy cars for little J to play with while we are there.
3:45 pm -- I bundle both children up and we head out again to the van for swimming lessons.
3:57 pm -- get big son undressed, shove all our winter coats into 2 lockers and find a table for little J and I to watch Big son swim.
4:30 pm -- drag the kids into the private shower room before all the stalls are taken. Big son goes right in and then little J decides he needs a shower also. So I undress him and they both shower. After I have pushed the button for the shower to continue about 5 times I drag Big son out, dry him off and dress him as he complains the whole time about his younger brother having a longer shower then him. Once both kids are dried and dressed we head home.
5:00 pm -- Arrive home, put on a show and rush to cut up chicken. Get supper on it's way to the table. In between starting supper and eating there is quite a bit of fighting and kids complaining how hungry they are and just can't wait.
6:00 pm -- Eat with the kids. Hubby isn't home yet from playing squash. We are just about finished when he walks in.
6:30 pm -- We are all upstairs, little J has to show daddy his room. Big son wants dad to make paper airplanes and I am veg'd out on our bed watching Entertainment Tonight.
7:00 pm -- Turn out the light for Big son and tell hubby I am heading to the gym.
8:00 pm -- Get home from the gym to find both kids up.. AUGH!! Is this day going to end??
8:10 pm -- Daddy takes little J up to get pj's on. Big son has the massager out and 'forces' me to sit for 15 minutes getting my back rubbed. ( the things I won't do for these kids :) ) It was heaven!!
8:30 pm -- both kids are in bed, and that brings us to this point. My plans for the rest of the night. Put supper food away, a hot bath and Grey's Anatomy.
Life is hectic BUT when I look at these faces.... It makes it all worth it!

Gripe Session

It's too HOT!!!!! I can't even sleep at night. I need a reprieve. I have been diving into ice cream and watermelon like it's going outta style but nothing is bringing down my core body temperature.
I'm uncomfortable and it stinks.

Test...... this is only a test!

A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met this guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing, so much her dream guy that she believed him to be just that! She fell in love with him right there, but never asked for his number and could not find him. A few days later she killed her sister.

Question: What is her motive in killing her sister?


* please answer the question.*

Nothing to say

Hi Y'all
It's been a while since my last post and yet I still don't have anything thing witty, informative or interesting to write.
My oldest son is out of school so I have been spending my days trying to entertain the two munchkins so I don't have to hear the screaming through the kitchen window every 2-3 minutes. With my days filled with cutting up watermelon, handing out ice cream and taking trips to the spray park and beach I am pretty much tapped out.
So to all my avid readers ( all 3 of you ) I haven't forgot about you I am on Sabbatical.
Happy Summer!!

The yestur-years..

It's funny how things work. I was online 'obtaining' some music, trying as I might to think of hip and up-coming artists to add to my MP3. While I was wracking my brain do you know which songs jumped out at me? The songs of my childhood. Forget about the Black-eyed Peas, Snoop-Puffy (whatever his name is) and Pink. Otis Redding, Van Morrison and Burton Cummings was what I was after.
I always knew music was powerful, but after listening once again to these songs it brought back such vivid memories. Even more interesting is that it brought back an era in time, one that was probably in existence before my time. A time of simplicity and innocence. When I listen to these great old songs I picture children running through the sprinkler, riding there bikes throughout the neighborhood and you know what there is no fear on the side of the parents of some unknown danger. People trusted each other.
So on my MP3 I will have some crazy hip-hop, some melancholy stuff all mixed in with these great oldies just to remind me that maybe, just maybe things can be simple again.

Yesterday

Yesterday we took our boys to get their immunization shots. My oldest was up to speed and only needed one, but my little one had to have three. Poor kid. I have really debated whether immunization is justified, I have only really ever read all the conspiracy theories online . But my husband is completely for immunization and has talked with me in great detail why it's important and the responsible thing to do. One reason that made me want to do this also is that I heard on the news the other night that MUMPS has broken out in middle America. I wonder if that's because some won't immunize?
I know that there are stories about kids actually breaking out in the disease upon getting immunized, but those are few and far between. I wish we could see the other side of the coin, that being what immunization has prevented in a life of a child.
To me the risk of a 1 % reaction versus a terrible disease like mumps, meningitis and so on being inflicted onto your kids is well worth it.
Anyway they both did well, the younger brother better the the older brother. So vaccinate! :)

NEWS FLASH: I don't want to see your naked body!

Upon arriving at Ladies California Fitness I headed to the change room. As I was rounding the corner to my locker I saw it... augh!! She had her back turned to me, naked as the day she was born. To make matters worse she was bent over so every crevice was available for viewing, not that you could help it much.
I quickly turned my back so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Can you believe that, I didn't want HER to feel uncomfortable. I should have sat there starring at her but the thought of ass in my face wasn't all that appealing.
So I am sure the classic guy question to come at me is, "well did she have a good body?" Ummm.... I don't care. Naked doesn't look all that good on anyone. To make matters worse, she started walking around the locker room and then if things could get any grosser, she went into a stall and peed, BUCK NAKED!!! Then came out and started walking around again. BUCK NAKED!
Why is this okay to people??? I am so ticked off, the more I write the more ticked I get. She decides to be naked, to go have a pee, and then walk around some more and we are all supposed to turn our backs, avert our eyes so she won't feel uncomfortable! What is wrong with this.
I wish i was gutsy enough to say, get some clothes on you freak your not the only one in here.
Should I complain to Calfit????

Passover 2006

Passover was really nice this year. My family celebrated with about 20 other people and it was a joyous occasion. We sat around a big table, drank wine, read our sedar and ate till there was no more room! It's wonderful being around people who have done this for so many years, we are still qutie new at this. I feel every year we glean more and more from participating in God's commanded feasts. As I watched the 10 Commandments this year on TV I was reminded of how the blood on their doorposts protected them as Yahweh passed over them, and again in scripture how Yeshua is our passover lamb. His blood was shed so that we might be saved, and this happened during Passover. So we remembered and we celebrated!

Will you 'Passover' on two opinions??

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is quickly approaching. What used to be a time of buying chocolate bunnies and picnic hams is now a time of preparation and reflection.
I found this article from www.messianichome.org I enjoyed reading it and decided to post it. I would love to hear your thoughts.


No longer is the emphasis of Passover on an animal sacrifice that needs to be offered year after year in the Temple. Now our focus is on what Messiah has accomplished for us. Bread and wine are not required to be offered in the Temple. They are available to each of us at any time in our homes and congregations.
Each Friday night as we enter into the Sabbath, we offer up prayers along with the bread and wine. “Blessed are You, YHWH our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” On a weekly basis we are reminded of Y’shua’s(Jesus) sacrifice for us through the symbology of the Bread of Life and the earth and grave. On an annual basis, we eat only unleavened bread during Passover as we remember the death of Messiah at Passover and His resurrection on Firstfruits. The unleavened bread reminds us of the sinless Lamb that was raised from the dead. “But now is [Messiah] risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” (1 Cor. 15:20)
As YHWH is writing His Torah on our hearts, we find ourselves needing to change our approaches to our worship. How we celebrate the Messiah’s death and resurrection to more fully honor Him is one of the places where we are to “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
If differing opinions are calling you to something other than what the Father’s perfect will is for you, here is a question from the prophet Elijah for you to consider: “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?” (1 Kings 18:21) The word halt in the above passage is the Hebrew word “pesach” which is the same word translated as “pass over” in Ex. 12:13: “when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” So the question may be asked, “How long will you Passover between two opinions?” Keeping Passover as the season of Messiah’s death and resurrection is the Biblical, Torah-honoring thing to do because it is a feast of the Lord. Keeping Easter as prescribed by the church is conformed to this world’s understanding and misses the mark of YHWH’s purpose. Fertility goddess celebrations involving eggs does not honor the Lamb of God. Keeping Passover just as prescribed by the synagogue and oral tradition of the rabbis (which also includes the egg) is vain without the understanding of Messiah Y’shua. Today we are to heed the voice of Elijah crying in the wilderness. “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

There are certain things in life we don't want to experience. We all have our lists. I don't know where this ranks on my list, but it the thought of wiggling, bouncing and sweating in front of men didn't rank very high. So like all of you have avoided certain things on that list, that was one I avoided almost to a fault.
After a very graphic conversation with my sis-in law regarding loosing the jiggle around my middle, she's inspired me to try, try again. :) Normally I have to drive across town, 1 or 2 kids in tow to get to the all FEMALE gym. This just wasn't working, it became my excuse for not going. Well on my side of the tracks, ghetto tracks that is, there is a co-ed gym....AUGH!!! I really didn't think I would be able to do it. It turned out to not be so bad. Can you believe it, not everyone was starring at me????!!!??? There weren't people whispering as I walked by about how out of shape I was?!?!?!
We can't let our list hold us back.

My dear husband

I must take this opportunity to boast about my husband. Today he received a scholarship from the university for excellence achieved in balancing school life with family life. Most students don't have to come home to a spouse, let alone children who crave their Father's attention, along with the high demands of pharmacy. He has excelled in both!!!
So I honor you today J for a job well done. We love you and are so proud of you!!!

Good things come....

Yesterday I went to Safeway to get my groceries for the week. The temperature, with windchill -28, so I opted for parcel pick-up. Upon returning home and opening the truck I noticed the carb-fest going on in my trunk. There was Dorito's, Ichiban, pop, pasta galore.... I was given the wrong groceries. I also happened to look upon a bag full of new clothes....Hmmmmm.... new clothes would be nice.
I called Safeway to let them know about their mistake. I was informed the lady with my groceries was there waiting and hoping hers would be returned. So upon driving back to the store, did I mention it was -28... anyway once groceries were traded and all the thanks given I received a $25 gift card.. WHOA HOO!!!!
I think I hear a juicy salmon calling my name......

True Survivors

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren't 't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING ! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down>the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or>CD 's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them! Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.They actually sided with the law!"
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! If YOU are one of them . . CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good . And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it
~unknown~

Spring has Sprung....Change has come.

Can you sense it? If you can't imagine you can. That's what I am doing. I was upstairs basking in the sun like a lazy cat when the feeling came upon me. You know the feeling when you become upbeat, looking forward to all that you will do once the weather lets up. So today Spring has sprung for me. And since it's a time of change, so changes my blog format as you can tell.
It's lighter, brighter and airy, just like Spring.

Like A Dog Returning To It's VOMIT!!

Dysfunctional (dis-fungk'shen-al) Deterioration of the natural action.

Last night we had drama! Without fail we are privy to the F-bomb being dropped with every other word, and funny yet abusive name calling. No I am no talking about a Wil Smith movie, these culprits share a wall with us. I am talking about our neighbor's.
This is a once a week occurrence, usually a Friday night, that the drama ensues. Usually my hubby and I rush to place our ears against the walls to see what outrageous things they will say to one another. But last night things became physical.
So being the concerned and completely ticked off neighbor's that we are we called the police. They took their sweet time getting here, of course. Five minutes later they were gone, and it's been silent since.

These two are like a bunch of caged animals. They say the most hurtful, outrageous thing to one another. I will quote a few just for your entertainment.
" I hope you have a slow and painful death."
" Your hair is greasy and you never shower."
" You're nothing to me you F*&!%# no good son of a B*#@*!"
" You're fat and lazy, you abuse your kids."
Then the old hound dog (that's what we call him) leaves, only to return within an hour for round two!! Like a dog returning to it's vomit. It keeps life interesting....Sometimes.

Regret....

My abs hurt. I have worked my abs before, they've never hurt before. I must have given them a righteous workout :) yesterday as I was at the gym I recognized a lady that I haven't seen since I first started my membership. That was about a year ago. At that time she was a little frumpy, and just starting out. When I saw her yesterday she was lean, had great arms and legs and I wasn't impressed.
Obviously she had been consistent in going to the gym as I had failed. So of course I started telling myself, 'that could have been you' The battle of the bulge continues.....

My Greek Tragedy :(

Today started out as any normal, hectic pre-school day does. I awoke to the sounds of my youngest son singing 'Song of Moses' at 7am. I dressed the children, nagged my husband to get out of bed and off we were.
After dropping Noah off at pre-school, we ran some errands and then dropped hubby at University. Trying to kill some time I thought I would treat the youngest to a muffin from Tim Horton's. As I was pulling a U-turn to access Tim's lo and behold I saw the dreaded Red and Blue flashing at me. AUGH!!! So you guessed it I landed a HUGE ticket for an innocent U-turn.
Tell me something, do you think a move like that warrants a $200+ ticket. I couldn't believe my ears when she told me the amount?!?!? Ever heard of a warning toots? I am debating going to court to appeal. I have a clean record, excellent actually. Don't you think I deserve a warning... I am so mad. I am also WORRIED about telling the Mister. He won't be happy! So far this day sucks.

Can THEY sense it??

Tell me something, can They sense it?
Today was just like any ordinary day, not a lot of excitement, meals on time, schedule running fairly well. They must sense it. Is it a pheromone that is given off? Do They sense the anticipation, the feeling that everything will go as planned and then set off to purposely screw up your plans.
This is not some rare occurrence in our household. EVERYTIME (maybe a slight exaggeration) They don't cooperate. I plan to go to the gym, which truly is mind over matter for me, and one if not both won't sleep, They are up for hours.
The husband and I want ALONE... time and sure enough that night the child won't sleep. WHAT IS THIS????